A city located on the Sarthe River with a population of 145,000, Le Mans is the capital of the Sarthe département. Its inhabitants are called Manceaux and Mancelles. This agriculture and industry century is known for rillettes, a shredded pork paté and the 24-hour automobile race, called the Le Mans Grand Prix, held each year in June. An important community in the Middle Ages, Jews lived in the quarter formed by streets Marchande, Saint-Jacques, Falotiers, Merdereau, Barillerie, Pont-Neuf et de la Juiverie. At time, Jews had their own market, their school as well as a hospital. They were thrown out at the same time as all other Jews of Maine and Anjou--1289. The community very much felt WWII, numbers of its members having been deported. Jewry of North Africa revitalized the Jewish community. Synagogue and Centre Communautaire at4-6 Bd Paixhans - 72000 LE MANS. Tél / Fax 02-43-86-00-96 [January 2008]